190 



them take a ready sale, and bring the most possible 

 money for them ; and the only plan for this pur- 

 pose is, to put all the most valuable trees in lots by 

 themselves, and these generally in very small lots; by 

 no means mix the good or valuable trees with the 

 trash, as useful wood will always have a competition 

 of offerers, and bring its value, and oftentimes fully 

 more ; whereas inferior timber oftentimes does not. 

 All different descriptions of timber should be loted 

 and sold separately. The whole should be loted and 

 sold off standing ; I have always found timber of this 

 kind sell best growing ; besides, being mostly Scotch 

 firs, were they to be cut down they would soon spoil, 

 and the whole behoved to be sold off at once, whether 

 they brought their value or not ; whereas when 

 standing, they can be sold or not, as there is or is 

 not a demand. The whole must be sold under pro- 

 per articles and conditions of sale, binding the pur- 

 chaser as to cutting, removing, paying, &c. ; a copy 

 of the customary articles, in sales of this kind, will be 

 given at the end of this book. 



Another plan, and I am of opinion the most ad- 

 vantageous for this plantation, as also for the im- 

 provement and value of the estate ; as the greater 

 part of the firs are at their best, and indeed have ar- 

 rived at that stage of size and growth, at which 

 Scotch fir trees, for the purposes they are applied to 

 as timber, is more valuable than if they were of rather 

 a larger size, and although they were to stand for 

 twenty years longer, they would not be worth one 

 sixpence more per tree, supposing the price of fir 

 timber to be the same, although I am also doubtful 

 if many of them would ever live other twenty years. 

 The plan would be to mark off, and reserve the whole 



